Tag Archives: erotic romance

Paranormal Romance Series Bliss

9 Mar

So you guys know that CAUGHT IN CRIMSON is book one in my new Spellbinding series. Witches finding love and fighting evil is a hella fun story to tell. But I wanted to talk about some of my other favorite PNR and UF series! These books are the reason I wanted to write a series, because they made me fall in love with the world and want to chase them through it to the end!

 

1. The Black Dagger Brotherhood Series

by JR Ward

I fell in love with Wrath, and Rhage, and Zsadist, and the rest of the Brothers a long time ago. I’ll be honest, I’ve probably read the series through book seven about 10 times at least so far. I skip the parts about the lessers, and go straight for the sexy vampires.

 

Why do I love this series?

Strong, flawed characters

Incredible conflict

Men I can fall in love with

And satisfying endings.

 

 

 

2. Night Huntress Series

by Jeaniene Frost

Ah, Cat and Bones. I LOVED the first few books in this series, but then I had to stop reading, but that’s because of my brain. In this series, I discovered a problem (for me.)

I love books that follow a group of people. I prefer subsequent books in a romance series to tell the love story of another couple related to couple #1. In a series like this, about three books is all I want to do. The reason for this is simple. I want my HEA. In the case of a series like this that only follows one couple, after too many books, I feel like I’ve been in a tennis match.

They’re together!

They’re not. Bummer.

Wait! Together again!

Dammit, where’d you go, Bones?

Justaminute! Back together!!

Ohfortheloveof GOD.

See what I mean? But I know I’m in the minority here. If Iwasn’t, then soap operas wouldn’t exist. And many romance series with TRILLIONS of fans wouldn’t exist.

BUT, I do love this series. And this is why.

A. HUGE conflict.

B. A badass guy that I totally fell in love with. Ah, Crispin.

C. Did I mention that the sex was INCREDIBLE?

 

3. The Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire Series

by Charlaine Harris

I read these books so long ago, but I still think of them fondly! I’m happy to say that I got at least five other readers hooked on Sookie. :)

But, Sookie has the same caveat that Cat does above. Poor Sookie. She’s so virginal in the first, oh, 5 books, and then you’re like “wait. She kind of has done about eleventy-billion guys now.”

Oh well.

I don’t really consider these romances, though they do sometimes have romantic elements. But I do love the series. And this is why.

A heroine I can relate to (for the first 7 or 8 books, anyhow)

SEXY guys that are easy to fall in love with

A unique setting, one that takes on characterization of its own

A complex world that keeps changing and growing

 

 

I’ve tried to analyze what elements I like (and don’t like!) from my favorites above, and really execute them in the Spellbinding world. It’s important to me to make this series a world that readers will love and relate to, and hopefully read for years to come! That’s my measure of success. I don’t want these books to be a one-time read. I’ve read the books I own from the series above multiple times. And that is how I measure a good story.

Caught in Crimson Cover Art Regina Cole

 

So what do YOU think? What elements of a series are most important to you? And what are your favorites? LMK below!

 

 

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Books and Life

8 Jan

If you know much about me, you know that I’m an escapist. I love to experience books because there are no limits, unlike real life.

But I also love to read and write because it helps me to make sense of the world around me.

In a little over a month, I hope, some of you will be reading CAUGHT IN CRIMSON, the first book in my new series “Spellbinding”. A theme that runs through the story is doing what’s right for you versus what’s expected of you.

Now, I’m not one of those people that writes to theme. The stories come into my head, and they tell themselves. I’m usually just along for the ride. Like INDELIBLY INTIMATE. That one turned out to be a story about refusing to let bad choices define your life. And SINFUL TRUTH. That turned out to be a story about a murderous group of psychopaths. Okay, not everything I write has a clear-cut theme. But still.

image from Dreamstime free

image from Dreamstime free

I haven’t gotten a lot of criticism on my stories yet (most people that talk about them seem to like them, hurray!) but one of the things someone complained about in INDELIBLY INTIMATE was Quinn’s choices. They didn’t like that she made bad decisions.

I don’t know why this popped into my head today, but it did, and I felt like I should address it.

In good stories, the characters feel real. Real people make mistakes. So, my characters make mistakes. If we only wrote about perfect people, the stories would be very boring. Our flaws make us human. They give us depth and meaning. They are what drives us to become more, better. Quinn LaBrea is very, very human. But you know what? So am I. I haven’t led a perfect life, and I’m willing to bet NOBODY reading this blog has led one either. If you have, please contact me. I have a very large wheelbarrow you can borrow for that load of horse manure you’re toting. :)

Delia, the red witch and heroine of CAUGHT IN CRIMSON, has made mistakes. She’s got ideas that don’t really mesh with reality. She’s going to screw up, she’s going to fall. But I hope you read because in the end, you know that she’ll climb out of the hole she’s made. And in the end, isn’t that what all of us want to do? Move on, move up, move forward? Make up for past mistakes and drive toward the end, doing our dead-level best to be happy?

I think so. I sure do.

Caught in Crimson will release in February or March. Keep your eyes peeled on the new “Coming Soon” page for details. And let me know if you think I’m full of crap below. I can take it! :)

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It’s beginning to look a lot like… FREE STUFF!!

20 Dec

Hey everyone!

 

If you’re reading this, you need to get your heinie over to Herding Cats and Burning Soup. I’m doing a guest post over there and giving away three presents!! Scoot over there and enter, and while you’re there, check out my vision of erotic romance. The lovely Anna and her guest authors are giving away TONS of stuff this holiday season, so enter and tell your friends!

And in case I don’t get to say this later, I hope your holiday season is peaceful, happy, and healthy. Blessings to you all from your smut-purveyor Regina Cole! :)

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A Virgin Attendee- Romanticon 2012!

10 Oct

Hey there, dear peoples!

 

My other face, Gina Lamm, is ass-deep in drafting for a deadly looming deadline, but her other face, MOI, has a convention this weekend!

WOOHOO!

This is my first Ellora’s Cave Romanticon, and I’m so stoked that it’s RIDONKULOUS. I have swag to give away, freebies, books to sign and a panel to participate in! Me, Sabrina York, JK Coi, and my lovely editor Carrie Jackson will be dishing all about the Hot and Horrific category Erotic Horror.

Have any of you attended Romanticon? What’s your favorite thing about it? Any tips for me while I’m there?

If you want to keep up with my exploits, make sure to follow me on twitter: @ReggiCole

I’ll be live tweeting using the #Romanticon12 hashtag.

 

Okay dearies! I’m off to get to packing. Wish me luck!

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New Cover Alert! Caught in Crimson

27 Sep

Hey ladies and gents, check out the cover for CAUGHT IN CRIMSON, a new erotic paranormal that should be releasing in the next couple of months from the loverly Ellora’s Cave Publishing. I have to say, they really outdid themselves with this cover! I’ll post the blurb as soon as I have one, hehehe. In the meantime, I’m recovering from some minor surgery, so I’ll catch you later. :) Ooh, but I do have some exciting news about a new group blog I’m joining! More when the pain meds have tapered off. :)

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Cover Reveal: INDELIBLY INTIMATE

2 May

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I’m a guest at Coffee Time Romance and More today!

9 Apr

Visit me on Coffee Thoughts, the Coffee Time Romance and More blog! I’m giving away a copy of Sinful Truth, so comment, comment, COMMENT!!


http://coffeetimeromance.com/CoffeeThoughts/at-the-corner-of-scary-and-sexy-win-a-copy-of-sinful-truth-by-regina-cole-2/

 

Tomorrow we’ll continue the “How I do Erotic Horror” series. In the meantime, grab a latte and head on over!

 

~R

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Tell me no lies- How I do Erotic Horror (part 3)

5 Apr

Thanks for stopping by again! For parts one and two of this series, click HERE and HERE.

So I had a heroine, Bryerly, and I had villains, Rafe and his crew. What and why they were doing what they were was still a mystery to me. But heck. Like all good pansters, I’d figure that out later. I had more delicious things to attend to.

I knew that my hero was a Truth Keeper. I wasn’t sure what that was, but I wanted to find a name that meant truth. So I went to Google’s translating tool and scanned through all the languages I could find til I settled on one I could make a name.

VERUM. It’s Latin. It’s sexy. It fit.

And once I had the name, I could see him in my head. Husband had been doing a lot of Insanity workout DVDs at the time, so there was a face and body that matched the idea of Verum perfectly for me.

Exhibit A, Shaun T, the creator of Insanity Workouts.

 

Mrow.

Okay. So who was he? What’s a Truth Keeper? Hmm. He’s dark, delicious, probably immortal, so he could have come from a long time ago. Someone called a Truth Keeper would probably be nearly omniscient. Maybe he could be Egyptian. Oooh, I loved that section of history. I trotted off to do some research about Egyptian Gods and Goddesses, thinking that if Verum could run afoul of the deity who represented Truth, that his punishment would definitely have something to do with that, right?

So here’s Ma’at!

 

from Wikipedia–

List of deities of Ancient Egypt

 

Ma’at – a goddess who personified concept of truth, balance, justice, and order – represented as a woman, sitting or standing, holding a sceptre in one hand and an ankh in the other – thought to have created order out of the primal chaos and was responsible for maintaining the order of the universe and all of its inhabitants, to prevent a return to chaos

Okay, so Ma’at would have the power and the motivation to curse Verum if he pissed her off. Got it. So he’s called to keep the truth of mankind. THAT’S why he was there when the murder was happening. He had to observe the truth. Perfect conflagration of hero/heroine/villain? Check. So how does one introduce sexy-sex into this mix? Obviously, murder witnessing doesn’t do a damn thing for libido. Unless you’re some kind of sick perv. If so, I don’t want to know.

So in the next segment, we’ll talk about how I twined these polar opposites together.

Don’t forget to leave a comment below to be entered to win a Scarily Good Gift and free ebook copy of SINFUL TRUTH! To show how much I appreciate each and every one of my blog commenters, I’ll be adding each of your names from now until SINFUL TRUTH releases (4/20) into a hat. Comment on multiple blog posts? Receive multiple entries. The winner will be selected via Random.org, and will receive a Scarily Good Gift  plus a free copy of SINFUL TRUTH!  Comment, comment, comment! Share! Good readers. pats your head

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GIVEAWAY! I’m giving Sexy back

13 Feb

Hey there lovers!

If it’s your first time here, welcome! I’m Regina Cole, author of erotic romance for Ellora’s Cave.  Nice to meet you!

Today I’d like to talk a little bit about love, sharing, and oh yeah, sex. ;)

Valentines Day is tomorrow, and as such, we are expected to grow mushy, doe-eyed, and completely inundated with love. My opinion is, why wait for Cupid? One of my favorite things to do is read a deliciously spicy story, throw on a lacy nightie, and tackle my dear husband when he least expects it. It definitely keeps the romance alive.

We romance readers (and writers) are notoriously warm hearted, giving, and damn sexy. We know what we want and how we want it. So, giant card company who shall not be named, you can have your chocolate, flowers, and canned greetings. We romance lovers are waaaaay ahead of you.While you were talking about fireworks and stars and stripes, we were talking about the same. Just in the bedroom. ;)

That being said, Saint Valentine has given us a pretty primo excuse to be as lovestruck as we want to be. So what are your favorite Valentine’s Day traditions? Do you treat it any differently? Should you?

Please do let me know in the comments! I’ll be picking one lucky winner for a FREE ebook copy of DEAR ADDI, my Ellora’s Cave debut release! This post is part of the With Love Valentine’s Day Blog hop, hosted by the wonderful folks at The Blog Hop Spot! Make sure to stop by their website to check out all the other posters, and possibly win some great free stuff!

Ciao!

R

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Tattoos, Erotic Romance, and be in my book!

29 Jan

Hey there darlins!

I’m a fan of body modification. Piercings, tattoos, and other weirdness that people perform to make themselves look just so really fascinate me. I’ve spent a lot of time trolling BME in my day. :)

My rook, my stretched lobes, and the eyebrow piercing that I pretty much hated.

Little known fact: I once explored the idea of becoming a professional body piercer. What stopped me? The time to suffer through an apprenticeship. I just didn’t have the moments in the day to travel the hour each way to the only piercer I trusted in my area. My family’s gotta eat.

Since then, I’ve changed my mind about it, but I am still fascinated by it. That’s why Ellora’s Cave’s recent call for submissions really “pricked” my interest, hardy-har-har. You want me to write a story about tattoos and mix it with erotic romance? Yes please!

Although my time under the needle has resulted more in piercings than ink, I have been the happy recipient of three individual tattoos and one touch-up session.

My lotus foot tattoo. Yes, it hurt like HELL.

The most painful, of course, was the foot. The two on the lower back were a piece of cupcake in comparison.

Crappy webcam pic. My skin isnt’ really green.

I love that things are changing a bit in the world. Only fifteen, twenty years ago, ink was something that bikers and badasses did. If you had a tattoo, people looked at you like you were dirty, off, weird in some way. Now the sisterhood of the needle has grown exponentially. It’s more common to meet someone with at least one tattoo than without. I love that.

Tattoos are a sort of badge of honor. They’re a testament to who and what you were when you got them. I have a friend who’s wanted a tattoo for years, but she’s always hesitated when it came to what to get. Here’s what I always tell her:

“Tattoos are memories, kind of like a picture book you wear. Say you love frogs. In a few years, if the love fades, you can still look at that tattoo and experience those feelings again. If you got a tattoo for a triumph, for a darkness overcome? It’s like a medal of honor. It’s not about what you’ll love in the future, it’s about what you love now, and want to remember.”

My family is still old fashioned when it comes to ink. That’s probably the only reason I don’t have three or four more pieces right now. I know that I’ll have more someday. But for right now, I’m satisfied with my ink and what it means to me. And to write the love I feel for tattoos and bod-mods into a vibrant fictional character that gets to fall in mad, passionate love with a talented tattoo artist? That’s all I can ask for at this point.

What are your tattoos of? Care to share your ink stories? I’d love to hear them. I may even make you a character in my “Pricked” submission for Ellora’s Cave, if your tale is interesting enough. Don’t be shy, talk to me. ;)

 

Ciao!

~R

 

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